1st Glimpse of Newport

Beautiful!  It's such an awesome town!  

This post is long overdue, but I only just now got the pictures.

Several weeks ago Roy and I traveled to his hometown for his grandmother’s wedding reception.  She's so cute.  When I first talked to her on the phone before we went up she said, "I never thought I'd be twitterpated at my age."  

We left Provo on a Friday along with our friends Kenny and Andrea McAffee, who are always down for spontaneous adventures.  We didn’t leave until 3:30 pm because Andrea and I both had classes until then.  It was a quick drive up to Burley, Idaho where we met up with Kirsten, Roy’s older sister who lives in Rexburg.  In her spacious 4runner we made the rest of the 17-hour drive to the Oregon coast. 

Driving for 17 hours straight can make people a little crazy.

At around 9 a.m. I finally caught my first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean.
Newport is nestled right up against the beach.  In fact, it's a short walk down the Buckmaster's street to stand at the edge of a sheer cliff that overlooks the ocean and an  lighthouse.  Picturesque, no?

Newport is a fishing town, but in the summer it's also swarming with tourists.  That's why they have so many little shops and things like "Ripley's Believe it or Not" and aquatic museums, etc.  Kirsten used to work at The Whale Center where people go to spot whales and learn about them, etc.  I definitely want to go back and do that sometime.  

Without stopping for more than a brief moment to meet Roy's extended family and then scarf down some amazing pancakes his Uncle Jay made, we rushed off for the whirlwind tour of Newport.  


The highlights:
 - Walking out on the jetty, which keeps the gigantic waves from getting into the harbor.  The further out we went the huger the boulders became.  Some of them were slippery from the water crashing up onto them.  We managed to stay dry, though, and checked out some starfish that are as big as basketballs!!!

- Went to an old structure called the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, which was built in 1871.  There's a self-guided tour of the living quarters, which was connected to the lighthouse.  Supposedly the place is haunted.  A teenager disappeared there some decades ago.  Creepy.

- Drove all around town to see where the Buckmaster's went to church, where their old houses stood, and where they hung out when they were growing up.  That includes hiking up an overgrown path to this little forgotten burial plot.  They were probably old fishermen, most of whom died toward the end of the eighteen-hundreds.  

- Sprinted through the Hatfield Marine Science Center.

- Ate at Mo's and tasted their famous clam chowder. 

- Ran out on the docks and checked out the wildlife, which has no problem just hanging out in public.

See if you can find the pelican.  

- Played at the beach

Of course, to Roy and his family this is all just normal and no big deal- but to me it was a sweet vacation that I look forward to taking frequently for the rest of my life!  


But the next time I breathe salty Newport air will be July 21st, when I arrive for our WeDdInG!  Being able to see Roy's Aunt Sue's reception hall all done up for his grandma's wedding was a happy coincidence.  Thanks to the family– like poor Kelsey (his little sister) working out in the rain putting up lights– the place looked wedding-perfect.  I can't wait for ours.  It's going to be amazing.

I <3 Newport!